Since the National Defense Civil Staff declared the Informative Phase on Saturday due to heavy rains, the provinces of Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Granma, and Las Tunas have begun to implement a series of measures to avoid repeating the experience encountered with Hurricane Oscar.
Several provinces in the country activated the Defense Councils to mitigate the impacts of these weather phenomena.
In the province of Granma, Yanetsy Terry Gutiérrez, Vice President of the Provincial Defense Council, emphasized the importance of directly informing the population, given the blackouts that are affecting the eastern region, reported the official newspaper La Demajagua.
The official acknowledged that, amid the current energy crisis, "traditional media won't be able to reach everyone, which makes it imperative to utilize all alternative channels," to prevent people from being endangered due to lack of information, as happened in Guantánamo during Hurricane Oscar, when some individuals were unaware of its proximity or evacuation plans.
Terry also ordered the protection of full-term pregnant women, chronically ill patients, including nephrotic patients, and individuals with wandering behavior.
Similarly, he noted the need to pay special attention to neighborhoods located in low-lying areas that are prone to flooding, "to protect citizens before the rains make actions more difficult," the news portal reported.
A similar measure is being adopted in the province of Holguín, where, due to the imminent rains and already saturated soils, evacuation plans are being activated to move the population to safe locations. This action is particularly focused on those living in flood-prone areas, such as regions close to riverbanks and water reservoirs.
The official Radio Angulo reported that during a meeting of the Provincial Defense Council, the importance of communication, the protection of human lives, the speed of evacuations, and the assurance of food and protection of material resources was emphasized, with particular attention to the areas near the Moa dam and monitoring of the climatic phenomenon.
Likewise, the province of Santiago de Cuba is implementing measures such as the deployment of medical brigades in hard-to-reach areas, and the transportation of nephrotic patients and expectant mothers to appropriate health centers.
According to the news portal Sierra Maestra, efforts are underway in the nine municipalities to ensure the safety of the population, with a focus on the 30 communities situated downstream from the reservoirs, where rescue and recovery teams have been deployed.
The harvest and marketing of agricultural products have accelerated, and the standardized family basket is being distributed in the stores. The return of campers has been organized, and tourists are being transferred to safe locations, while fuel is being distributed for the emergency generators that provide power to vital centers in case of electrical outages.
Guantánamo, the area hardest hit by Hurricane Oscar, began mass evacuation of residents from San Antonio del Sur to the city of Guantánamo on Saturday, in anticipation of heavy rains and the risk of river flooding.
The Civil Defense warned about the high risk of flooding in the area, as the rainfall could lead to a rapid increase in river water levels, similar to what happened 15 days ago with Hurricane Oscar, which resulted in eight fatalities and two missing persons in that area.
The Forecasting Center of the Meteorology Institute (INSMET) alerted this Sunday about the presence of a trough in the lower levels of the troposphere over the Dominican Republic, which has caused showers and thunderstorms in eastern Cuba.
In a note published on Facebook, the Forecast Center reported that the provinces most affected by the rains have been Guantánamo, with accumulations of 57.8 millimeters in Jamal and 63.7 millimeters in Palenque de Yateras.
On the other hand, INSMET reported that there is an area of low pressure in the southern Caribbean Sea with abundant cloud cover and thunderstorms, which, although still disorganized, has a high probability of developing into a tropical cyclone in the next 24 hours.
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